An endringsoppsigelse ends your old employment contract and offers a new one. Your employer must follow dismissal rules for substantial changes that you cannot agree on. Ask for written terms and get help checking the deadlines.
What is an endringsoppsigelse?
An endringsoppsigelse is notice terminating your existing contract together with an offer of a new contract. It may be used when your employer wants major changes to your job without your consent.
The rules in this guide were checked as of 3 October 2026. Arbeidstilsynet, the public agency for working environments and employment conditions, says that the same rules apply as for an ordinary dismissal.
The situation may concern fewer agreed hours, a new workplace or substantially changed duties and pay. The effect on the employment relationship must be assessed. The heading your employer gives the letter does not alone determine what has happened.
Find your current contract before replying to a new offer. You can use SamfunnPrep's employment contract checklist. Compare working hours, employment percentage, pay, duties and workplace point by point.
Can my employer change my job without my consent?
Your employer may make some changes within styringsretten, the right to direct and organise work. However, substantial changes require agreement on a new contract or a formal endringsoppsigelse.
According to Arbeidstilsynet's guidance on endringsoppsigelse, the basic character of the position must not change substantially. What this means in your job must be assessed individually. The employment contract sets an important framework.
There is no single percentage threshold or travel distance that decides every case. A change may be small for one position and significant for another. Previous duties, the contract's wording and the actual effect may be relevant.
Ask your employer to explain whether the change is an instruction within your contract, a voluntary offer or an endringsoppsigelse. You need this clarification to understand your choices and deadlines.
What must your employer do first?
Before your employer decides on an endringsoppsigelse, the matter must be discussed with you. Your employer must also have an objectively justified reason relating to the business, employer or employee.
This follows from the ordinary dismissal rules in chapter 15 of arbeidsmiljøloven, Norway's Working Environment Act. A tillitsvalgt, an employee representative, may attend the discussion under the Act's rules.
A drøftingsmøte, or consultation meeting, takes place before the decision. It is an opportunity to explain how the proposal affects you and discuss alternatives. It differs from a negotiation meeting after notice of dismissal has been given.
Ask for the agenda and documents beforehand. Write down your questions. If you need an explanation of technical terms or time to read a document, say so clearly in the meeting.
You can ask for minutes and provide written comments if you believe something is wrong. Read draft minutes before confirming that they describe the meeting accurately. Keep a copy in your own document folder.
How do you compare your old and new contracts?
Make an overview of the changes before deciding. Distinguish between what is proposed, what is agreed and what your employer believes has already been decided.
A simple table can help:
| Item | Current contract | New proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Employment percentage | Enter your current percentage | Enter the proposed percentage |
| Workplace | Enter the agreed location | Enter the new location |
| Duties | Enter your main duties | Enter the new main duties |
| Pay and supplements | Enter the agreed terms | Enter the proposed terms |
| Start date | Applies now | Enter the proposed date |
The table is a working checklist, rather than a legal assessment. Include relevant attachments and messages too. A pay change may be difficult to spot if it appears only in a new addendum to the contract.
An illustrative example is an employee offered a lower employment percentage and a different workplace. The person compares both contracts and asks for the reasons. Whether the change requires an endringsoppsigelse depends on the case; the example gives no automatic conclusion.
What choices do you have after an endringsoppsigelse?
You can accept the new terms, or decline them and consider challenging the dismissal. Arbeidstilsynet also describes the possibility of accepting the change while working the notice period in your old position.
An earlier move to the new position can be agreed with your employer. Get the date in writing. Do not assume that the new contract starts on the day you receive the letter.
If you do not accept the offer, your employment may end after the notice period if the dismissal takes effect. It is therefore important to get advice before rejecting the offer or stopping attendance at work. Ask an adviser whether your choice of reply affects your right to challenge the dismissal.
Signing a new contract and acknowledging receipt of a letter are different actions. Read what the signature is meant to confirm. Ask for a separate receipt acknowledgement if you only want to confirm that the document was delivered.
Which deadlines should you watch?
You must normally request negotiations in writing within two weeks if you want to challenge the dismissal. Under the rules checked as of 3 October 2026, the deadline runs from receipt of the notice of dismissal.
Arbeidstilsynet's dismissal guidance also explains court-action deadlines. Normally, the deadline is eight weeks for a claim that the dismissal is invalid, and six months if you claim compensation only. When negotiations take place, the court-action deadline normally runs from the end of negotiations.
Procedural defects and other circumstances may affect the deadlines. Have your case checked; do not rely only on a general calendar calculation. The rules on remaining in your position during a dispute also require a separate assessment.
Record the date of receipt and keep the letter as you received it. Contact your union or a lawyer promptly. Do not wait for another internal reply if a deadline is already running.
Who can help, and what should you do now?
Arbeidstilsynet can explain the rules but does not decide whether the dismissal is objectively justified. A dispute over validity may ultimately be decided by the courts.
A union or lawyer can read the contracts and letters with you. Bring the documents in chronological order and write a short overview of what happened. This makes the conversation more specific.
If your employer has given you an ordinary dismissal, the guide to your rights when dismissed provides more context. A changed shift schedule and a major contract change involve different questions.
On SamfunnPrep's tools page, you can find practical resources for life in Norway. Keep your own document list and deadlines alongside them so your planning is based on the actual letters in your case.
